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🇧🇷 City · Brazil
Rio de Janeiro: the marvelous city of sea and hills
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Between ocean, mountains and urban rainforest, Rio de Janeiro unfolds a setting like nowhere else. The Zona Sul strings together its legendary beaches: Copacabana with its crescent of sand edged by the famous black-and-white mosaic promenade, then Ipanema, birthplace of bossa nova, sleeker, with sunset from Arpoador rock. Two giants watch over the city, Christ the Redeemer on Corcovado and Sugarloaf Mountain. Perched on its hill, Santa Teresa nurtures its cobblestones, colonial mansions and bohemian soul, linked to Lapa by the Selarón Steps. Below, Lapa beats to samba beneath the arches of its white aqueduct. Beaches, trails and museums set the rhythm of a thoroughly living city.
“City of God” (2002), a raw portrait of the carioca favela, was mostly shot in the neighboring Cidade Alta slum.
From 1808 to 1821 Rio was literally the capital of the Kingdom of Portugal, after John VI's court fled Lisbon ahead of Napoleon.
On Monday nights head to Pedra do Sal, the birthplace of samba in Little Africa, for an open-air street roda.
The drier, cooler season from April to October is the most pleasant; summer (December to March) is hot, humid and driven by Carnival and New Year's Eve. The metro links the Zona Sul to the centre efficiently, backed by buses and ride-hailing taxis; stay alert at night and avoid flashing valuables on the beaches. A tip: ride up Sugarloaf in the late afternoon for the sunset. As for connectivity, 4G and 5G coverage is good in tourist districts, though Copacabana and Ipanema get congested during major events; public wifi is common but poorly secured, so a VPN is advised.